September 24, 2015
Must watch Blur Clips
September 4, 2015
The Making Of: Blur- The Magic Whip
Watch an excellent documentary about the making of Blur's new album The Magic Whip below. The video, filmed in Hong Kong, stars Alex James, Graham Coxon, Dave Rowntree and Damon Albarn in the recording studio, wandering around Hong Kong's cityscape, performing at various venues and also contains many candid shots of the band.
September 2, 2015
Top 10 Most Overlooked Gorillaz Songs
Gorillaz is coming back in the next year or two, and it's going to be huge. With the virtual band's return confirmed by singer Damon Albarn and cartoonist Jamie Hewlett, the next year will be an exciting one as the successful pop band makes their biggest comeback ever.
Nonetheless, most of the famous Gorillaz tracks have become popular in the mainstream and in soundtracks and playlists. Songs such as Clint Eastwood, Feel Good Inc, 19-2000 and Dare have become so popular that many people automatically type these in their search engines as they discover Gorillaz and their charm.
Here at BlurBalls, we bring you a refreshing list of the top 10 most overlooked, most neglected but amazing Gorillaz songs of all time. These include tracks from their b-side albums and lesser-known tracks from their official albums, as well as other various performances that fans of Gorillaz should check out!
1. Rockit - There's no denying that Rockit is probably the top of the top, and one of the best Gorillaz songs out there that fans should appreciate more. The chorus features 2D rapping and almost talking to the microphone in a monotonous, bored voice. The chorus of "Blah Blah Blah" is absolutely delightful, and we mull over life along with 2D as we listen to this song. It's fantastic and absolutely delightful, a true hidden gem.
2. We Are Happy Landfill - One of the lesser known songs from the album D-Sides, this tune is catchy and upbeat, and is definitely a hidden gem that deserves more attention. Damon Albarn comes off as more raspy and louder than usual, croning his signature lyrics. It's a rough song, but it's terribly good.
3. Mr Softy's Balloon Race - Probably the least known Gorillaz song on this list, Mr Softy's Balloon Race was originally found on the official Gorillaz website in a record player in one of Russell's rooms. It was later transcribed onto an audio formate and shared across the net, and remains to be one of the cuter, lighter and fluffy Gorillaz songs ever created.
August 28, 2015
Damon Albarn: Blur, Gorillaz and other Fables - Book Review + Giveaway 2015
Heads up for all Damon Albarn fans- there's a new Damon Albarn biography out in the bookstores and this one is the most up to date, most recent Blur biography of all time.
This fully updated book by authors Martin Roach and David Nolan was published in August 2015. Featuring first-hand interviews with those closest to the musician in his formative years, is the only available dedicated biography of Albarn and covers his multiple musical personas in depth, as well as the Britpop era and the rock star’s re-emergence as the Godfather to the iPod generation.
From Blur to the virtual band Gorillaz and his unique solo album Everyday Robots, to working with recently deceased Soul legend Bobby Womack, everything Damon Albarn touches turns to success. With The Magic Whip – Blur’s first album in over a decade - released last May, Damon Albarn is once again ready to take his place as an iconic jewel in the crown of the British music scene.
Yet this book documents the musician's struggles, life, love, relationships, origins and musical journey throughout his most formative years. The book follows Damon Albarn through Blur, the Britpop era, to his next musical endeavours, to his life with his partner Suzi and ends with a complete discography encompassing all of the singer's songs up to the year 2015.
This book is a definite must have for any Damon Albarn fan out there who wants an accessible, well-written and thorough book. It's biggest advantage is it's timely relevance- the year 2015 marks the beginning of possible a new chapter in Damon Albarn's musical career, and this book serves as a good memorabilia for the 'new' Blur of 2015.
About the authors: David Nolan is a British television producer and author, specialising in music and popular culture biographies, including the seminal book on the Sex Pistols, ‘I Swear I Was There’.
Martin Roach is a firmly established writer and publisher on all things popular music, having ghost-written several extremely high-profile projects for major publishing houses and owned his own music publishing company
This book is great for both younger fans and to the more serious Albarn fans who want more insight into how the musician developed his career throughout the years.
This book is available on Amazon for purchase.
Alternatively, BlurBalls is bringing you an exclusive chance to win 1 FREE COPY of the book Damon Albarn: Blur, Gorillaz and other fables. Simply enter using the form below and the winner will be chosen in 4 weeks (September 28)!
August 26, 2015
Damon Albarn Getting Ready for New Gorillaz Album Recording
August 13, 2015
London Calling- New Blur Podcast 2015
New Blur podcast alert! Music Heritage UK, a charity which exists to promote, protect and preserve UK's popular music heritage recently launched a podcast on the Camden Town and its role in the birth of Britpop, featuring Alison Wise who runs the London 'Camden Rock n Roll Walking Tour'.
This new podcast is a great listen, and there's plenty on Blur in there!
August 4, 2015
Damon Albarn Performs "Song 2" for First Time Without Blur
Damon Albarn is currently touring in support of his solo album, Everyday Robots, released in April this year.
Last night, at a show in Boston, he and his band played Blur's 1997 hit "Song 2" without his bandmates for the first time. According to The Guardian, it's the first time Albarn has performed the song without Blur, and the first time he's played it on the current tour. Albarn was wearing an elephant hat thrown on stage by a fan, according to NME.
June 15, 2015
Blur perform Tender on Jimmy Fallon
Blur perform an excellent, touching acoustic version of Tender from their album '13' in the backstage of the Jimmy Fallon show earlier last month. The band looks extremely relaxed and chilled, and this is probably the best live version of Tender we've seen in the last few years. Hope you enjoy the share!
June 10, 2015
Blur- Ong Ong acoustic version
We are currently loving the song Ong Ong from Blur's newest album. Here's some footage of the song performed on Last.fm sessions live in May 2015. Blur performs a refreshing light acoustic version of their new song, which is perhaps the best little gem on their new album The Magic Whip.
What's your favourite song from The Magic Whip?